Imidazolium bromide-based ionic liquids bearing phosphonyl groups on the cationic part were synthesized and grafted on γ-alumina (γ-Al₂O₃) powders. These powders were prepared as companion samples of conventional mesoporous γ-alumina membranes, in order to favor a possible transfer of the results to supported membrane materials, which could be used for CO₂ separation applications. Effective grafting was demonstrated using energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry (EDX), N₂ adsorption measurements, fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and special attention was paid to (31)P and (13)C solid state nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR).
Keywords: grafting; hybrid membrane; imidazolium-based ionic liquids; phosphonate coupling agent; solid state NMR; γ-alumina.